Showcase Strategy: Engaging by putting people in the show

In this short, 3-minute video, I explain how one of the most powerful engagement strategies works.

I call it “Showcase Strategy”, and I’ve used it successfully many, many times. I first learned about it when I was 20 – which is what I share in this video!

The idea

When we showcase people in something, they are more likely to share it, because they’ve been showcased in it. As I like to say, “If I’m in it, I’ll share it.”

Examples of Showcase Strategy

Featuring someone in your podcast – who then shares it with their audience

Tagging someone on Facebook – who then shares what you tagged them in (and this gets automatically done as well)

Having a band perform at your event – because they bring their fans to see them perform

Having someone write the foreword to your book – because they’ll tell people they wrote the foreword!

Mentioning a person or place in your talk – because they’ll tell people they were mentioned (very useful for political purposes, like we’re having in the UK right now!)

Get someone to speak at your event – they’ll promote it like crazy!

Featuring a member of your community on your blog once a month – because they’ll share that article

Having someone else star in your Instagram pic – because they’ll share it with their audience

Having a particular movie star in your film – because they’ll bring their fan base to see them perform

Interviewing someone in an article – who will share the article, obviously!

Referring to an organisation as a case study in your research – who’ll then point to it as a great piece of research

Interviewing someone in a video – who then will share that video out

Using someone’s idea in your training – because they’ll publicise it for you

And of course, putting all the kids in the school play – so that all the parents come to see them perform!

Bonus Points

I referred to it very briefly in the video, but what massively maximises showcase strategy is when you bring lots of people together, and showcase them all, thus creating a bond between them.

Take my example as per the video of having multiple bands play at my concert. The result was that all the fans of the bands now saw themselves as part of a wider group of fans in general – and it happened at my event. So guess what event they will be coming back to?